Walking up the glade...

The weekend has gone again...but we had a wonderful one. I hope you did too? On Saturday, Paul & I drove over to buy a few bits & pieces to finish the makeover of our attic room. My beloved sister, Esther, & her children are arriving a month today for a visit...I can barely contain the excitement which bubbles in my stomach - I feel like I used to the night before my birthday as a child! They are mainly staying at the farm with Mum & Dad but will be spending a few nights here too...and they'll be in the attic room so it has to be perfect! I have a post waiting until it's finished...I took 'before' pictures...so as soon as I have the 'afters' you can see it!
I spent yesterday afternoon at the farm, as Paul had to work & Alice was exhausted after her long morning run. My youngest sister, Lucy & her partner David were there too, along with my youngest nephew Will. William is only 3, but he is absolutely golf mad and frighteningly good at it! It doesn't interest me at all usually...but it's amazing to watch this little blond boy spending (literally) hours whacking golf balls around. He hits them perfectly every time and knows all the right names for the various clubs! Lucy can't bear golf either, so all the enthusiasm is coming from him...and he has plenty of it!
It  was a beautiful afternoon, so I left them all to it and took a walk in the mellow golden sunshine - I thought you might like to come along?

I left my tea mug on the fence post so I wouldn't forget it...

In the 1930's, the farm was owned by a famous gardener called Percy Cane...and he planted what we now call The Glade. It's really a wide, grassy promenade bordering the Home Paddock....edged with many beautiful species of tree...maples, azaleas, rhododendrons, magnolias, lilacs...

Certain areas are purposely left wild...Dad is a great naturalist and this is a beautiful way to encourage the wildlife to share the space. It's a riot of bluebells here in Spring...but as you can see right now it's mainly grasses and the heady pink of the Rose Bay Willowherb...which is rapidly turning into what we call Old Man's Beard (you can see why!) All along the edges of the glade are little burial spots....here lie all the cats & dogs that have died in the 30 years we've owned the farm...even the ones who lived with us girls after we left home. They all come back to rest here, in this calm & peaceful shady place...I love to think of them as I walk...

Most lived long and happy lives...Sasha, Ruby, Winnie, my darling Poppet, sweet Sadie, feisty little Widget, Papagena....but some went far too soon...Buster, Ben, Teazel, Myrtle, Suki and Esther's beloved Staffy Funky...all lie under the trees where they used to love to play & run. I can almost see their little ghosts around me...

Near the top are Dad's hosta beds....huge and magnificent. He doesn't have the trouble with slugs & snails that I do here in town...due, we think, to the hedghogs & badgers that live in these woods...

At the very end of the glade is a pond, built after we moved here and now taken over by huge bullrushes...it's a wonderful place to stop and take a few breaths and admire the scenery...

Although it's only August, the hedgerows and trees are full of fruit & nuts already...

rowan berries...

hazelnuts...

walnuts...

acorns..

apples..and my favourites..

the glorious purple blue damsons.

Lucy & I managed to prise William away from his clubs for a while and we went off on a picking spree for my preserves this week...

we came back after only a short time with quite an impressive haul!

I've already extracted the juice from the damsons to make jelly...and I plan to make Victoria Plum Jam and Apple Thyme Jelly too later.

We  are so lucky to have grown up in such a place, and to be able to share it now with our children. I can't wait until Esther's three are running around on the wide lawns and laughing with their little cousin...not long now!

Have a happy week xo